Sometimes
by xxTemarixx
Summary: They were substitutions for each other. Opposites attract, but sometimes that opposite is the wrong person. /YagyuuOC, NiouOC, Platinum Pair. Written for the NXYZ Community Christmas Fic Exchange/


**NXYZ Community Christmas Fic Exchange**

**Title: Sometimes**

**Written for: Coco96**

**(Special Message:) Uh, I hope this is what you wanted. I had fun with it. :D**

**Pairings/Genres/Rating: YagyuuOC, NiouOC, and Platinum Pair (NiouxYagyuu)/Drama, romance/K+**

**Beta: Frog-kun~**

**A/N: Nothing, just enjoy. :D**

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><p>Sometimes it takes a little push to work up the courage to tell that someone special how you feel. Sometimes, it takes a little advice from someone who is about to get heart broken. Sometimes, it's a matter of whether you want to gamble everything just for love.<p>

Sometimes, it takes just one small gesture to destroy everything.

_**[S]**_

Niou stares out the window of his classroom, watching the clouds float by. He normally isn't one to completely disregard class, but he can't concentrate. There is a pounding in his head, guilt building up in his subconscious, and a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Lately, he has been having trouble deciding how to deal with these... feelings.

"Masaharu, are you okay?" a soft, gentle voice whispers. He turns his head to see his girlfriend looking at him with a frown. Her papers are in a neat pile on her desk, her pencil sits neatly next to the pile, and her book is open to the chapter they are on; so organized. Her back is straight, chin tilted up, and her legs are crossed.

"I'm fine," he replies before going back to stare out the window. He hears her sigh, and wonders when he will tell her.

_**[O]**_

Yagyuu closes his book and begins to pack up his stuff. He slips his books into his bag and slides the pencils into their holders. The bell rings and he walks out the door, towards the lunchroom. Stopping by his locker, he hears a figure approach him, and turns to see his girlfriend smiling at him.

"Ready for lunch?" she asks, running a hand through her spiky black hair. She carelessly swings her jacket over her shoulder and crosses her arms, leaning against the locker. No genuine expression, only ice cold eyes. There are so familiar, but Yagyuu can't recall why.

"Yes," he replies, closing his locker. "Shall we go?" He extends his arm to her. She takes it, not too gently, and they head upstairs to the roof. He learned that she prefers it up there, because she can look down on others. He finds it a bit crazy, but also a bit thrilling. She makes him feel like he's on a merry-go-round, always turning. Every day he learns something new, and every day he craves the excitement more and more.

He can't decide if he loves it or hates it.

_**[M]**_

Niou lies in bed, tossing a tennis ball up and down. He sees his face and for a split second his concentration is gone, and the ball lands beside him. A shiver of delight goes through his spine as he imagines that soft, neatly combed hair, perfect teeth, and crisp school uniform.

He sits up and runs a hand through his hair. What is wrong with him? Why can't he feel normal feelings, like every other teenage boy? He wishes these feelings would go away, but at the same time, he wonders what life would be like without them.

_Call her,_ a voice says. _Don't let the guilt eat you alive. She needs to know._

He takes a deep breath and nods. They've only been together for four months. She can't be too in love with him, can she? Sure, she makes him small good luck charms, makes his lunch, and cheers him on at games. She hugs him and kisses him and does everything a good girlfriend should do. Does that mean she is in love with him? He can't feel the same way, he just can't, and he hates it.

He grabs his phone and presses speed dial three._ Ring. Ring. Ring_

_"Niou?"_ a voice answers. His girlfriend's.

"Hey," he breathes.

_"Is everything alright?"_ she asks. _"You seemed like something was bothering you today."_

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind," he says. "Can we meet up at the park in about ten minutes?"

_"Sure, I'll be there as soon as possible,"_ she says. His heart clenches as he hears a smile in her voice as she says the next line. _"I love you, see you in a few."_

"Bye..." he whispers, but the call is gone. Grabbing his jacket and slipping on his shoes, the trek to the park isn't too long of one. Not as short as he would like, but much closer than it could be for his liking. It's winter - no flowers, no singing birds, not even a winter white wonderland to celebrate the holidays. There is a slight wind, however, and he wonders if his confession will mean anything. Will the wind sweep his heartbreaking truth away forever?

He spots her, and prays that he isn't making a mistake.

_**[E]**_

Yagyuu is surprised when he gets kissed out of the blue. He and his girlfriend are in the park, hidden behind a group of trees that only have a few leaves left on them. It is late in the afternoon, the sun descending behind the hills while painting the sky orange, pink, and red. It's beautiful, and breathtaking, and completely thrilling. A thin layer of mist begins to appear, sinking into their bones.

She kisses him harder, pushes herself up against him. He wants her, her kisses, her love, her passion, her edginess, but not like this. Not in the forest, with the animals watching and the light growing little. He kisses her back, not as rough, but with a bit of passion and care. He hopes she gets his message, to slow down, but she doesn't.

He pulls away and looks into her blue eyes. He hates those contacts. They are nothing like the real ones.

Real thing? Wait, what is the real thing? He isn't sure. However, he is truly sure that those eyes he has seen them before, more than once too. Not exactly her eyes, but one's similar and completely blue. Blue eyes are edgy, dangerous, and tricky. They are alluring and captivating and he is a complete sucker for them.

"What are you doing?" she demands.

"Take it slower," he responds. She glares at him and pushes him back.

"It's been four months, and I can't wait any longer," she says. "I can't take your politeness and our slow-moving relationship."

He tenses. She won't end it will she? He needs her, and badly. She is the only thrilling thing about his boring, routine-driven life. She is the dominant one of the pair, making the rules on the spot. There is something different about her, and he can't lose it.

"I'm sorry," he fixes his glasses. "Please, forgive me. Maybe next time?"

"Maybe."

And he watches as she walks away, his swinging from side to side with confidence and grace, like something you would see on television. He takes another deep breath and goes after her.

He doesn't want to continue his old life.

_**[T]**_

Niou watches the tears fall from her doe-like eyes. It's a scene that he doesn't want to witness, much less be the cause of. She is sobbing on a park bench; head buried in her hands and her body is shaking uncontrollably. He expects her to shout at him, kick him, hit him, tell him he is a player. Instead:

"I knew it."

He freezes, shocked like a deer caught in headlights. It is one of the few times someone catches him off-guard. How did she know? Could she tell? Is it obvious?

"What?" he finally manages, trying to keep his cool. This is nerve-wracking. What is going on? He is the Trickster, and to be a trickster you cannot be a) caught off guard, and b) out of the knowledge loop. Is there something he didn't catch?

"I knew it all along," she sobs, looking up at him. He winces at the depth of pain and disbelief and betrayal located in her eyes. "No one else noticed, but I did. I... I just wish you would have told me!"

He isn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry, it's just... I didn't know what to do. They were new feelings, or maybe I had them all along, and I thought that I could forget them. But everything I see in you, I see in him. You're like twins. I want that organization in my hectic life, and you [he] is that balance."

She shakes her head sadly, as if she is ashamed of herself. "At least I meet his expectations."

Silence. He doesn't know what to do. Comfort her? Walk away? This is all completely new to him, and he is beginning to truly hate it.

"I love you," she whispers. Not loved, love. As in, she still loves him after he just ripped her heart out and threw it on the ground.

"I-"

"No, you don't mean it," she intervenes in a gentle voice, but he can hear the anger. "You love him, not me. You love him, and truly love him, and not me. I can see it.

"You truly love Yagyuu Hiroshi don't you?"

_**[I]**_

Yagyuu is worrying himself to death because Christmas is approaching, he doesn't have a gift for his girlfriend, and they aren't on the best of terms a couple could be on. She hasn't really pushed herself onto him again, but he can tell that she is holding back and it frustrates her. He hopes they make it through this bump in the road; every couple has a few bumps, right?

He sits at his desk, staring at a photograph of him and Niou. He smiles at the memory, and feels warmth building in his stomach. It was taken last Christmas, when Niou stole him away to prank Marui by dying his tree (he had a real one) multiple colors. They both ended up covered in spray paint and pine needles.

He misses Niou. They have not been able to hang out lately because of school and their girlfriends. He regrets neglecting his best friend, and decides in that moment to make it up to him. He grabs his phone and smiles at the familiar voice that picks up.

"Are you up for a little shopping?"

_**[M]**_

Niou feels his heart flutter at the invitation. He answers with a nod then realizes that Yagyuu can't see him. He agrees to meet his partner at the mall in half an hour. They hang up, and he hurries to his closet to pick out something to wear. Normally, he wouldn't show how excited he is for a "date" with his best friend because he had a girlfriend, but now that is all different.

Speaking of girlfriend, he turns towards the figure sitting crisscross on his bed. She is braiding her hair into a neat up-do and turns her attention towards him when she feels his eyes.

"Who was that?" she asks.

"Yagyuu," he answers. She blinks, then smiles.

"How great! A date?"

"Shopping at the mall, most likely for gifts."

"But it's still a date."

"Not to him."

She frowns but stands up and goes to his closet. Ever since they broke up, she said she would help him win Yagyuu's heart because she loves him and wants him to be happy. And she likes playing matchmaker. She had told him:

"I understand. Always go for the second one, because if you truly love the first one you wouldn't have fallen for the second."

And he took it to heart, thanking her and apologizing one last time. They continue to hang out with each other but the awkwardness still rises every once and a while, and they are trying, and truly trying, to be friends.

And it seems to be working well.

_**[E]**_

Yagyuu is excited to see Niou. They haven't hung out in a few months, ever since the U-17 training camp ended, so it would be nice to catch up with each other. He stands dressed in a black button up coat, black jeans, gloves, and a blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He leans against the building while he waits. His breath comes out in small puffs of white smoke as he watches people bustle in and out of the mall.

"Yo, Yagyuu!"

Yagyuu whirls around at the familiar voice, and lets a small smile slip onto his face before it disappears as quickly as it appeared. He extends his hand and relaxes as the Trickster's hand meets his. It fills him with a sense of relief that nothing has changed between them.

"Let's head in," he suggests, and Niou nods. The two walk into the mall, grab some hot chocolate, and sit down at a nearby table.

"It's weird in a nice way to hang out again," Niou says, sipping his hot chocolate.

"Agreed, but nothing has changed, partner," Yagyuu nods. There is something about being around Niou that makes him ask his next question, prying a bit. "So you don't have a girlfriend now?"

Niou shakes his head. "Nope, but we're really good friends. She's helping me out with something."

"Ah, sorry to hear that."

Niou shrugs. "Don't be." He pauses, and Yagyuu thinks he is hesitating. "So, how are you and your girlfriend? Get her anything special for Christmas yet?"

"No, I'm at a loss," Yagyuu confesses. "And she's mad that I'm taking it slow."

"Well, you were always a careful romantic," Niou teases. "You know, I never thought about it, but your girlfriend is a lot like me."

Yagyuu pauses, almost flinches, but raises an eyebrow. "Oh? I haven't noticed."

He inwardly panics. Did Niou really figure out why he dated her? It hit him last night, when he realized that she is just like Niou, and the familiar blue eyes are his partner's. Yagyuu had never thought of Niou like that, in a romantic sense, but he knew all along that they shared a special connection. He just never realized how special that connection truly was. Niou is the thrill in his life, while he is the order to Niou's. They are opposites and he wonders if Niou realizes that, too.

"Let's shop," Yagyuu says, standing up. Niou follows his action and they throw their empty drinks away before heading into the mess that is the mall.

They never mention gifts for each other.

_**[S]**_

Niou feels the butterflies going crazy in his stomach to the point where he might just release his lunch. He finally figures out the best present for Yagyuu, but it's risky. It took some encouragement though to actually go through with it.

"Come, you can do it!" His ex-girlfriend cheers. "It's all set up. You both meet at the park in the morning, and BAM! Smooch-a-roo."

He stares at her like she is crazy, but secretly hopes she is right about this. Of course, he had to add his own little secret trick in there. He bundles up his scarf and jacket before giving her a hug, whispering a quiet "thank you," and hurrying down the stairs. Out the door and into the cold, he shivers but can feel his heart racing.

This is it. He is going to show Yagyuu how he feels and pray to whoever is up there that this doesn't get screwed up.

"Niou-kun!" Yagyuu calls as Niou approaches their meeting spot. He grins lazily and waves at the gentleman, shoving his hands in his pockets. He sees a small blue bag (the color of his eyes, he notes) and wonders what is inside.

"Merry Christmas," Yagyuu says, handing the present to Niou. His hair is full of small white flakes and his nose is bright red, and Niou finds it so adorable. He opens the bag and pulls out a note. He raises an eyebrow and glances at Yagyuu, who wears a poker face. However, he can still see a bit of nervousness dancing around inside of him.

"Dear Niou, for Christmas, here is a special something just for you. Please enjoy. From, Yagyuu," Niou reads. He reaches inside the bag and pulls out a small heart-shaped box. He glances at Yagyuu again before opening it. He stares at the mini tennis ball designed chocolates.

"White-chocolate, you're favorite," Yagyuu says. "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you, Hiroshi," Niou says, loving the way that name rolls off his tongue. "I hope you like my present for yo-"

He is cut off by something warm, specifically a pair of lips that don't belong to him. He freezes in place when he realizes the situation before remembering what to do. He wraps his arms around his partner and pulls him closer, kissing him back with as much passion as possible. He feels sparks throughout his body and sees stars behind his eyelids. Is this love? He doesn't have time to answer that before Yagyuu is pulling away, bright red.

"You stole me idea," is the first thing Niou says. Yagyuu grins.

"Well, a kiss is the best thing to give a friend on Christmas."

_And sometimes, everything isn't destroyed._


End file.
